James Gurney

This weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

CG Art

Contact

or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

Permissions

All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

Monday, April 11, 2016

If you like listening to immersive soundscapes while you're painting, you'll enjoy the BBC podcasts by Chris Watson. He's a wildlife sound recordist who takes his sensitive equipment all over the world. His 15-minute programs punctuate the environmental captures with his voice identifying what you're hearing.

Sample episodes:Midnight at the Oasis—The sounds of the Kalahari Desert, from dusk to dawn, including interesting audio perspectives from the microphone beneath the sand dunes and under the bark of trees.

St James Park—Tracking wildlife in urban environments near his home in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, he starts with the weekend revelers and sports fans discarding food and litter. Then we hear the sound of rats and mice eating up the scraps, followed by the urban predators, such as tawny owls and foxes.

Glacial Melt — The sounds of calving glaciers in Antarctica, together with the birds, seals, and whales as heard from above and below the water. Watson combines a rich imagination to the informed awareness of a naturalist.